Excavations in Alexandria , Kalliope Papakosta

[system1988]

This is a very very interesting video ,about the discovery of a very big construction in the gardens of Salalat (royal square in ptolemaic era ) I post the video first without translation ,because i usually lost everything ...(these things happen only to me ) I will translate in time.In meantime if someone (a Greek ? i suppose ) wants to translate it is welcome of course ..Summary : The (probably) first tomb of Alexander accordind to Papakosta , the (right )decision to continue the excavations under the level of water of Nile, , the finding of the two main roads of Alexandria , the finding of a very big construction , the idea of the distance from the actual point of the odiern excavation of the last tomb of Alexander : 400/500 meters s according to an roman Historian

[Testing]

Testing. Pauline this seems ok.

[system1988]

The translation of Ms P apakosta interview in english ...because it was oral , the translation has some repetitions , and is asymmetrical Another issue is the timing of the interview Given that is after 2022 i would say is in the end of 2024 or early 2025
To be continued

25-3-2025
The archeologistit Ms k.Papacosta answers about the research in Alexandria since 1998,She makes it clear that is not another ''treasure hunter'' who is obsessed with obsessive and unorthodox ways to find the tomb of Alexander.this ''label''was used by the magazine National Geographic to sell the documentary film .Since 1998 she has been doing research in the Ptolemaic Alexandria ...' if i am blessed and luchy to find the grave...wellcome . In 1998 i began a cooperation with the University of Alexandria. I research the antechamber of the macedonian tomb of the ''Alabaster''.i have written a study (Academia) about this extremely lavish tomb.I believe it was the second tomb of Alexander. A few years ago i began an excavation in the Salaat park searching the ptolemaic era layer .I believe that in Ptolemac era the park was the garden of the palacies as it is now a park .I had the insistence to continue digging even further below the water level of Nile ( usually the others collegues stop where they found water)The water is located at 7.50 meters depth and the early Hellenistic layer at 10 meters.I faced too many problems to eliminate the water.Until today i pump the water 24 hours a day.Even at the beginning of the excavation we found small hellenistic objects coins, ceramic etc and of course the statue of Alexander . So we had found the Ptolemaic era layer . The section belongs to the royal square of Alexandria ,We found a foundation for avery large building 41 m, by 35m .It belongs to a tall building.I have not found any indications or evidence for the nature of this building .We know from Stabo that the are where i am now included very specific buildings: The Museum , the Library , a temple of Isis , the Arsinoeion , and the Mausuleum with the tomb of Alexander amid the oter Ptolemies. one of these buildings is the structure i have discovered .As i said the first find at this point was the original statue of Alexandr. It is a unique work of art .I am conviced that this is the truest form of Alexander ,because it is an early Hellenistic work ,and not the heroic and deifeied form we have from the Roman times .In 2022 a conference was held at which it was said that it is very likely the figure of Alexander. Possibly decorated a royal building .
The big structure i mentioned before , is located at the crossroad of the main roads of Alexandria.the city has 2 main streets : The Canopic -the horizontal one - and the Basiliki (royal) the vertical one . The royal road connected the palaces from the sea , intersected with the horizontal and ended at the lake port .I was lucky enough to find a section of the vertical royal road and so now we can confirm where the intersection of the 2 central roads was located .And this is important ,because we know that the intersection was the central square of the city as the historian Achilles Tatios (3th century AD ) when he visited Alexandria says ...'' And we continued ...from the square ...after we had advanced a few stadia we arrived at Alexander place ''
I am ''close '' 400 , 500 meters ? but i cant announce anything so ''big'' , because i am very cautious at what i say . I dont think the sarcophagus can be found But the remains of the tomb certainly exist.There were probably three tombs of Alexander : When Ptolemy I ' kidnapped' the sarcophagus with the body ,he buried it in Memphis because Alexandria was still being built.The body remained there for a few decades and then , when the constuction of the city was finished ,Ptolemy II transferred the body and buried it perhaps in the tomb of Alabaster (it is a Macedonian tomb extremely lavish as i said), and in the end ca 200 BC , Ptolemy Philopator builds a Mausuleum and tranfers there Alexander and the other Ptolemies . And this is the the third tomb we are looking for now, I believe that because the royal square was destroyed during the battles between the Romans and the Alexandrians , between Christians and pagans, ( there was even a tsunami!)...i do not believe that the tomb is intact. As far as the body of Alexander is concerned ...because was considered God , protector of the city , and had a priesthood ..the priests seeing these disasters looming,would have taken care to protect him ,and i believe that the body was hidden somewhere '

[Alexias]

Thank you for doing this, Pauline.

An interesting theory that the Alabaster Tomb was Alexander's first burial place in Alexandria. I am not sure I am convinced. If Ptolemy gave him a traditional tomb, then it would seem likely that he would have cremated the body, and not buried the embalmed body. That it was never cremated argues that it was always intended for some sort visible worship, so I don't know.

Apparently the Alabaster tomb theory is not M Papakosta's as there is a post on Instagram here about it. https://www.instagram.com/arto.belekdan ... mg_index=1. I don't know who originated it.

[system1988]

The documentary film of National Geographic

[Alexias]

Sorry, System1988, this video is not available in the UK so I cannot comment.

[system1988]

.Oh , i didnt know this .Ms Papakosta speaks about it in the interview of this post .Any way it is possible to watch the photos included the ''big' structure (ptolemaic era ) the others finds , and of course the extrardinary (original- not copy ) statue of Alexander .Surely Papakosta has reach the ptolemaic layer !